RAILEX 2016

david bigcheeseplant

Western Thunderer
Just a bump as Railex is this weekend.

Quainton Road Models have had to withdraw, but this has allowed us to ease a couple of tight points on the gangways.

The vintage bus timetable is now on our website www.railex.org.uk

Also a reminder Saturday tends to get busy so if you want a more relaxed visit Sunday is the day to come.

David
 

Pugsley

Western Thunderer
Hope you have a great show David - unfortunately I can't make it this year, which is a shame as it looks like a particularly good one!
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Aylesbury, the model, looks really good and congratulations to all the Risborough club members who have worked so hard to present it at the show this weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing it operate o
tomorrow. Wibdenshawe is awesome as ever, even after several viewings and there's lots of other good stuff too.

The Hop Pole has a splendid range of beers on tap....

A great show in the offing - and then there's the bus!!

Simon
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Here's the first of a selection of photos at Railex on Saturday. I'm not particularly proud of any of these which were hand held, without flash, on a "point and shoot" camera with the attendant focus and camera shake issues so I'll guess that some far better pics will follow, but these may keep us going for a bit. I'll post a separate message for each of the layouts which I photographed. I start with Aylesbury LNWR - not only a brilliantly executed layout but also an historic document in it's own right as the surrounding area has changed so completely. All are pretty self explanatory, but I'll add a description where it may help to add a bit of detail.100_0175 - Copy.JPG 100_0178 - Copy.JPG
Looking at modern maps it appears that part of this land now has a public park on it. No doubt all traces of the railway have been swept away, but a bit of detective work may be interesting - or not!

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Th North & Randall yard is probably the only place which remains recognisable as a specific location. In fact the main building has gone and until recent times was a yard, and still for a soft drinks company. However the small brick built building behind the lamp post still exists. These remaining bits of old Aylesbury will disappear soon as the site has been sold for development. The range of cottages and shops beyond have all gone under a roundabout and the road with the horse drawn vehicles is the A41 which turns left in front of the white building (also long gone) as the inner ring road. All the green fields have been developed. Other than some of the cottages shown on the layout which are still present in odd corners the scene has changed completely.

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With the station gone a new road, the A418, has appeared towards the back of the site, approximately where the boundary wall and trees beyond are shown here and crossing Park Street to the right of the station - a view of this appears later. The "new" dual carriageway goes right through the gas works, also not a trace of which remains.

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If it was possible to see across these fields now the view of Aylesbury Prison would be much the same. However the fields between have now largely been developed.

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Finally a camera shaky picture of Park Street, now one of the principle thoroughfares in Aylesbury.

Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Next up is Dentdale. In general I find 2mm layouts rather less than awe inspiring - a personal view and not intended to denigrate some really fine 2mm modellers - but this is one of those exceptions. It is truly a "railway in the landscape" which, for me, shows 2mm to it's best advantage. Again, same caveats as above regarding quality of photos and no comments apart from saying that it captures the atmosphere of the Settle and Carlisle for me. Also the really effective backscene helped the sense of the enormity of the scene.

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oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Next, a few shots of Laramie. Some new toys on here which I'd not seen before including the working coaling tower and a sound equipped water crane. (I think the sound was recorded in the public loo! Actually, I do the sounds an this layout a disfavour as I found them both well controlled and not over loud). These are not the shots I'd have liked, but the layout was really popular all day and it was difficult to get a decent view without photobombing other viewers. I'd also hoped to get a shot with our own Simon T in it, but failed dismally.

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oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Just four of London Road, another 4mm layout which has much to commend it, particularly the quality of the painting and lining of all those carriages! The layout captures the nature of the old LNWR main line stations most effectively, and with a few changes to colour schemes it echoes Harrow and Wealdstone Station - for me at least.

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cbrailways

Western Thunderer
Thanks for posting those photographs. The last one of Aylesbury is facinating as its almost impossible to detect where the layout ends and the backscene starts when looking up Park Street.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Just back from completing my stint behind the bar at the village pub, so I'll pick up from where I left.

The next layout is Rolvenden, K & ESR in P4. This is without doubt a study in the charmingly bucolic. The set pieces are charming, and the oast house with associated hop fields is a little masterpiece. IMHO it would benefit if the back scene made some pretence of the scenery continuing outside the immediate railway environs, but if you can't do back scenes then I guess blue sky is better than nothing at all.

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Richard Spoors

Western Thunderer
I was rather disappointed with more than one of the large 4mm/00 layouts at Railtex. Whilst the quality of landscape and building modelling was excellent, there were too many lengthy waits to see trains moving. Why, so often, are fiddle yards full to overflowing whilst paying customers have only empty tracks to look at?

I know it's realistic to have long intervals between trains on an absolute block signalled railway, but at an exhibition don't we go to see trains moving?

Despite that frustration it was a good show>

Richard
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Finally, Wybdenshaw. This was every bit as good as the trailers suggested and I was delighted to have been able to see it before it actually leaves these shores. Was it best in show? Well, there were so many from which to choose it's difficult to make a decision, so I won't. It ran superbly with a crew who were clearly experienced and concentrated on running trains at scale speeds with few if any jerky starts and stops, a pet hate of mine. I'm not a great blue diesels fan but this payout is just in another league. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but I just wish my shot of the bus garage with two vehicles under repair had been a bit less unsharp. It set the standard for the whole layout as far as I'm concerned. Note too the attention to detail of the buildings and environment around the abandoned and derelict steam infrastructure.

A big thank you to the organisers of Railex 2016 - this is an exhibition which never disappoints.

Brian

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oldravendale

Western Thunderer
I was rather disappointed with more than one of the large 4mm/00 layouts at Railtex. Whilst the quality of landscape and building modelling was excellent, there were too many lengthy waits to see trains moving. Why, so often, are fiddle yards full to overflowing whilst paying customers have only empty tracks to look at?

I know it's realistic to have long intervals between trains on an absolute block signalled railway, but at an exhibition don't we go to see trains moving?

Despite that frustration it was a good show>

Richard
I don't disagree, Richard - certainly one of those I've featured here would fall in to that category. However, my pleasure came from the simple quality of the modelling - and in truth some layouts would find it difficult to run more than one train at a time. As for the last one I featured here - the action never stopped!
 

david bigcheeseplant

Western Thunderer
Well Railex is over for another year, It was very busy probably the busiest ever, even on Sunday it seemed like a busy Saturday.

Well I am going to take a break then it all starts again for next year.

David
 
A

Arun

Guest
Have to agree with David - I was on a trading stand for both days and whereas one often expects Saturday to be enthusiasts day and Sunday a families' days, both days were very much busy and evidently enthusiasts' days - and financially equally [& very] successful. One can only hope that some of this rubs off on the Scale Four Soc whose annual [southern] meet is in the same venue in September.

Arun
 

Simon

Flying Squad
A huge "thank you" to David and all organizers and participants, that was arguably the best model railway show that I have ever attended in my life.

So much to like, I second all the comments above and would also say (as a trader) that it was a very successful event, in fact it was a "nine boxer"!!

Just going back out into the garden to run the afternoon Padstow and Falmouth service:p

Simon

PS Thank you very much Brian for your photographs of the exhibits, a great record of a wonderful event.
 
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